The Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations
The Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relations is a non-profit organization under the Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences. HPAIR currently holds two annual conferences that bring together international students and eminent individuals in the fields of academia, politics and business - the Harvard Conference and the Asia Conference. Established in 1991 with the goal of enabling distinguished students to participate in an open forum on Asian international issues, HPAIR also promotes long-term relationships among these future leaders and connects them with current leaders in the world. HPAIR is an organization run entirely by undergraduate students. HPAIR's Asia Conference is Harvard University's largest annual student event in Asia. Since its founding in 1991, HPAIR has held over 20 conferences in locations ranging from Mumbai to Kuala Lumpur, Currently, HPAIR holds two annual conferences: the Harvard Conference and the Asia Conference.
Harvard Conference
The Harvard Conference was first held in 2008 on the Harvard University campus. Each year, around 300 international students and young professionals come together at the Harvard Conference to explore pertinent issues concerning the Asia region, including foreign policy, public health, environmental issues, media and entrepreneurship. Attendees have the opportunity to discuss these issues in-depth through plenary sessions, panels, seminars, and case studies.
Harvard Conference in Previous Years
Asia Conference
The HPAIR Asia Conference is a 5-day academic program in mid-August in an Asian city. The conference integrates the contents of the academic and business world to create a hybrid structure. Delegates benefit from gaining a broader exposure to issues spanning multiple arenas, including political, social, economic, cultural, and business. The 2019 Asia Conference is going to be held in Kazakhstan from August 16-20, co-organized by the Nazarbayev University in Nur-Sultan. There are six conference tracks, namely
The Asia Conference started off in 1992 in Taipei, back then known as the Academic Conference. Bringing together a diverse group of speakers and about 300 graduate and undergraduate students from across the world, the Academic Conference takes the form of six workshops that explore, through research and discussion, issues ranging from environmentalism to cultural trends. In 2004, HPAIR started the Business Conference, which invited many prominent figures from the world of business, government and law to discuss their understanding of Asia and its place in the global economy with more than 300 business students and young professionals. As of 2012, HPAIR has merged the Academic Conference and the Business Conference into a single conference, the Asia Conference, which brings together 600 pre-eminent young professionals from around the world. The most recent Asia Conference was held in 2018, co-organized by the Sunway University held from August 16-20 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
